AA Lithium maybe?

Now I need a loan to get four of these, either Energizer or the new from Duracell, I wondered if anyone has compared rechargeable? My attempts at rechargeable AA were in fairness based on a set a few years back and personally I thought they were next best thing to useless. Maybe advances have been made? I see a plethora for sale now, so got to thinking (as you do), are any of the rechargeable type worth having compared to pre charged?
Mostly used for Flash and other stuff.

Now I need a loan to get four of these, either Energizer or the new from Duracell, I wondered if anyone has compared rechargeable? My attempts at rechargeable AA were in fairness based on a set a few years back and personally I thought they were next best thing to useless. Maybe advances have been made? I see a plethora for sale now, so got to thinking (as you do), are any of the rechargeable type worth having compared to pre charged?

I'm using 7dayshop's version of Eneloops. They hold their charge for weeks, or maybe even months. @mozzytheboy - it's slow discharge rechargeables you need to ask for. When I bought my 4 sets, I also bought a slow charger. Takes 24 hours to fully charge a set up. Apparently quick chargers shorten battery life. My slow charger cost something like 75p. I wouldn't dream of buying non-rechargeables, though I used to carry a set "just in case" before I found out about slow discharge rechargeables.

I'm using 7dayshop's version of Eneloops. They hold their charge for weeks, or maybe even months. @mozzytheboy - it's slow discharge rechargeables you need to ask for. When I bought my 4 sets, I also bought a slow charger. Takes 24 hours to fully charge a set up. Apparently quick chargers shorten battery life. My slow charger cost something like 75p. I wouldn't dream of buying non-rechargeables, though I used to carry a set "just in case" before I found out about slow discharge rechargeables.

Sanyo eneloop cells are excellent. They come pre-charged and they hold a useful charge for a very long time (years), so unlike conventional NiMH cells, they’re convenient for use in remote controls, radio triggers, or seldom-used flash units.
Sanyo cells have excellent uniformity of internal resistance and capacity in a given batch, so they work reliably in high-drain multi-cell devices like flash units. I think eneloops aren’t unreasonably priced considering their [link=http://www.eneloop.info/eneloop/whats-eneloop.html]many advantages[/link] and high quality. The latest model (HR-3UTGB for the AA size) has a lifespan of about 1800 charge cycles.
As for charging, you can get really geeky about this (I opted for a [link=http://www.mahaenergy.co.uk/products/battery-chargers/009-maha-c9000-wizard-one-intelligent-charger--analyser]Maha C9000 WizardOne Intelligent Charger-Analyser[/link]). However, a Sanyo kit with eneloop cells and eneloop charger would work fine.
Cheaper options might work too, but I rate Sanyo above everyone when it comes to batteries. They invented many of the basic technologies in rechargeable batteries from the sixties onwards, and today make batteries for electric cars from Volkswagen, Honda, Ford, and others. They know their stuff.

Sanyo eneloop cells are excellent. They come pre-charged and they hold a useful charge for a very long time (years), so unlike conventional NiMH cells, they’re convenient for use in remote controls, radio triggers, or seldom-used flash units.

Sanyo cells have excellent uniformity of internal resistance and capacity in a given batch, so they work reliably in high-drain multi-cell devices like flash units. I think eneloops aren’t unreasonably priced considering their many advantages and high quality. The latest model (HR-3UTGB for the AA size) has a lifespan of about 1800 charge cycles.

Cheaper options might work too, but I rate Sanyo above everyone when it comes to batteries. They invented many of the basic technologies in rechargeable batteries from the sixties onwards, and today make batteries for electric cars from Volkswagen, Honda, Ford, and others. They know their stuff.

I use Ansmann Pro AA NimH 2850 with a Digi4 fast charger. Batteries will fully charge in about 2 hours relatively safely as charger has a (noisy) fan built in to keep batteries cool whilst charging to extend their useful life. Use these batteries in my Pentax Kx DSLR and get 300-400 shots per set of 4 depending on exact usage and how much viewing i do onscreen. Total investment of approx £40-£45 but will last for 3-4 years before batteries are whacked and the charger should still be working fine. Charger also analyses each battery individually which I would recommend as other wise
a duff battery can 'hide' within a pairing.
I agree with other posters who also recommend the latest tech Ready To Use rechargeables like Sanyo Eneloop. Lots of makes to choose from here now. JCB do some particularly good value ones.
You can buy a pack of 6 JCB AA 2100mAh Ready to use rechargeables (4+2 free) for less than £10 which can be used in any Nimh charger. Once charged these retain approx 70-80% of their capacity even after 1 year.
JCB Lithium AA/ AAA are also very good value at about £5 for a pack of 4 if you want ultimate non rechargeable performance.

I use Ansmann Pro AA NimH 2850 with a Digi4 fast charger. Batteries will fully charge in about 2 hours relatively safely as charger has a (noisy) fan built in to keep batteries cool whilst charging to extend their useful life. Use these batteries in my Pentax Kx DSLR and get 300-400 shots per set of 4 depending on exact usage and how much viewing i do onscreen. Total investment of approx £40-£45 but will last for 3-4 years before batteries are whacked and the charger should still be working fine. Charger also analyses each battery individually which I would recommend as other wise
a duff battery can 'hide' within a pairing.

I agree with other posters who also recommend the latest tech Ready To Use rechargeables like Sanyo Eneloop. Lots of makes to choose from here now. JCB do some particularly good value ones.
You can buy a pack of 6 JCB AA 2100mAh Ready to use rechargeables (4+2 free) for less than £10 which can be used in any Nimh charger. Once charged these retain approx 70-80% of their capacity even after 1 year.

JCB Lithium AA/ AAA are also very good value at about £5 for a pack of 4 if you want ultimate non rechargeable performance.

Jeez, this is interesting :) I'll have a pop then at the 2000mAh Eneloops. Charger wise as I'm unlikely to need in a hurry could I do any worse than to run with the Sanyo own Eneloop trickle / overnight charger?
Oh, and just how do you say 'Eneloop?' In my mind I say 'Any-loop.'

Jeez, this is interesting I'll have a pop then at the 2000mAh Eneloops. Charger wise as I'm unlikely to need in a hurry could I do any worse than to run with the Sanyo own Eneloop trickle / overnight charger?

Compared to lithium AAs, Eneloops recycle way faster in use, last longer and cost pennies to recharge.
And the daddy of battery chargers is one of these. http://www.mahaenergy.co.uk/products/battery-chargers/006-maha-c800s-u-8-cell-smart-charger . So much better than the standard one.
I have three and a bank of Eneloops in rotation.

Compared to lithium AAs, Eneloops recycle way faster in use, last longer and cost pennies to recharge.

[quote]I use Ansmann Pro AA NimH 2850 with a Digi4 fast charger. Batteries will fully charge in about 2 hours relatively safely as charger has a (noisy) fan built in to keep batteries cool whilst charging to extend their useful life[/quote]
Fully agree with Kako's comments. Have used this for about 8 years with about 36 Ansman batteries. All works extremely well with no problems, bu tnow one or two of the batteries are not holding their charge so well - but after 8 years, who cares! Have really used them a great deal in two 580EX's with no probs

Quote:I use Ansmann Pro AA NimH 2850 with a Digi4 fast charger. Batteries will fully charge in about 2 hours relatively safely as charger has a (noisy) fan built in to keep batteries cool whilst charging to extend their useful life

Fully agree with Kako's comments. Have used this for about 8 years with about 36 Ansman batteries. All works extremely well with no problems, bu tnow one or two of the batteries are not holding their charge so well - but after 8 years, who cares! Have really used them a great deal in two 580EX's with no probs

Shame the Ansmann charging unit only comes as a two pin plug and you need an adaptor for same which makes it all a bit messy; and according to feedback it does not always fit. I was going to go with that but will I think stick with Eneloops. Just a charger to choose now.

Shame the Ansmann charging unit only comes as a two pin plug and you need an adaptor for same which makes it all a bit messy; and according to feedback it does not always fit. I was going to go with that but will I think stick with Eneloops. Just a charger to choose now.

Thanks for all the help and suggestions. In the end I went for two sets of Eneloop third generation AA's. And charger wise I had the Technoline BL-700 (UK model). The third gen Eneloops are 1900mAh and charge for 1800 times, holding at least 75% of charge for up to 5 years ....sooooo all the blurb suggests.
The Technoline 700 was as far as my budget would run, so I think it should be fine.
Thanks again everyone.

Thanks for all the help and suggestions. In the end I went for two sets of Eneloop third generation AA's. And charger wise I had the Technoline BL-700 (UK model). The third gen Eneloops are 1900mAh and charge for 1800 times, holding at least 75% of charge for up to 5 years ....sooooo all the blurb suggests.

The Technoline 700 was as far as my budget would run, so I think it should be fine.